It\’s been a tough year for oil bulls, but Friday\’s risk on surge saw the biggest gains in crude prices for 2012. Oil futures rose 5.84% to $82.23 a barrel in recent action, according to data from FactSet Research. In a day that\’s seeing broad gains in most asset classes, gold and oil are following […]

The Dow Industrials and the S&P 500 SPX are surging Friday on optimism over Europe\’s latest efforts to control its debt crisis. In morning action the Dow was up 1.8% to 12,827.30. If it holds, the percentage gain would be the best since June 6, and the second best of the year for the index. […]

Italy decisively beat Germany on the soccer pitch Thursday night, while Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti at least played to a draw with German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the summit meeting of European leaders spilled over into the early hours of Friday morning. Reuters Balotelli after second goal. Taken at face value, it appeared that […]

Stocks rose Friday morning in New York with shares of Hewlett-Packard Co. and McDonald\’s Corp. in focus as widespread optimism over Europe\’s latest efforts to contain its financial crisis boosted shares. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.35% to 12,772.70. All 30 stocks in the index rose. Hewlett-Packard Co. led gains, adding 3.6% to $20.06. […]

Nearly 28,000 people have signed a petition asking Apple Inc. to return a much-loved but unofficial Madrid landmark, a massive Tio Pepe sherry advertisement, to its perch atop a historic hotel in the bustling central square Puerta del Sol upon completion of the edifice\’s renovation. Reuters Tio Pepe sign in former perch. A typically cagey […]

When Edvard Munch’s iconic painting “The Scream” went up for sale at Sotheby’s this May, officials estimated that it could be auctioned off for more than 80 million dollars. But they were wrong – off by 50%, in fact – as the pastel on board sold for almost $120 million.

The results Thursday afternoon from Research In Motion Ltd. RIMM may have driven the final nail in the coffin of the company’s integrated strategy, by which it seeks to control both the hardware and software of its wireless offerings. Read full story on RIM.

Apple AAPL has long played this approach to great effect, but few others have been able to pull it off. Google GOOG, which has been the most successful company to challenge Apple in the smartphone business, has done so by going the opposite track, developing the operating system and letting others make the devices that run on it.

It’s a triumphant day for President Barack Obama and backers of universal health coverage. But critics of the administration\’s signature legislative achievement are up in arms after the Supreme Court upheld the health-care law in a historic 5-4 decision. Obama spoke after the ruling saying, \”today\’s decision was a victory for people all over this […]

Stocks\’ swift bounceback Thursday was related to a smattering of headlines about the ongoing Europe summit, where leaders were set to conclude a dinner meeting shortly after the close. \”With the market looking out of control on the downside, there were rumors of some sort of a breakthrough in Europe. Nothing you could put your […]

Markets started out in a negative mood Thursday, with U.S. stocks, the euro and commodities falling. Somehow, there was more disappointment to be expressed ahead of the European Union summit. Equities fell a little more after the Supreme Court’s ruling on healthcare, only to retrace much of their losses by the closing bell as reports […]

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